Traveling with an Open Heart

Here’s another update from Leap yogini Brittany… reflections from her first day at Peace Retreat.

If you haven’t decided yet where you are going, then you cannot be lost.

If you would have asked me one year ago where I was going, I could have told you with certainty. Today I am not going there anymore.

If you would have asked me five years ago where I was going, you would have received a completely different answer, with just as much as certainty. Today I am not going there anymore.

Yet for all of the so-called certainty in my chosen path, I’ve spent a lot of time filled with the anxiety of wondering how I was going to get there. Every detour and obstacle seemed like an insurmountable challenge. Today I am much happier and calmer. I’ve learned how to live in the present moment, accepting each day’s gifts and challenges, and finding the opportunities behind each closed door.

Practicing yoga and receiving support from the LEAP community has played a vital role in my transformation. Because of the love and inspiration I’ve experienced at the studio, I have set out on my first solo international adventure. I hope this blog inspires you to find love, inspiration and an adventure of your own.

May 12, 2014

Rule #1 of Traveling with an Open Heart: Listen to others around you and don’t be afraid to speak up if you have something to offer. Kindred spirits will not only accept your gift of experience and advice with gratitude, but can share with you from their own experience as well.

As I was sitting at the table in the restaurant in the George Bush International Airport I overheard a young waitress talking to another female patron about how she was unsure of her path in life and that she may be interested in pursuing medicine or even surgery. I looked right at her and said, “You should talk to me.”

They both looked at me, a little astounded. “Why? Are you a surgeon?” I paused for a moment. “I was.”

Our conversation evolved into an interesting discussion about what happens when we are searching for something more on this journey through life. We talked about education, careers, and what it means to truly be healthy and to inspire health in others. I learned so much from each of them and by the end I felt much closer to each one and even felt that I had learned so much more about myself.

When you really listen to what you are saying about yourself while speaking with strangers, you find out what you think about who you really are. That is such an important lesson that many of us miss. How often do you listen to yourself in a conversation?

I arrived at Peace Retreat late at night. It was very dark and there were many strange and wonderful sounds being produced by the local fauna. Immediately I started to feel like I was out of my comfort zone.

Rule #2 of Traveling with an Open Heart: Let go of expectations and start having experiences. I looked outside at the hundreds of fireflies buzzing around, and I remembered seeing them throughout my childhood summers in Wisconsin. I could feel the weight of the humidity in the air, and realized it was not unlike the weather I’d felt before in the Midwest and the South. Though this place is unfamiliar, perhaps it is not quite as uncomfortable as I thought. More tomorrow.